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Funny... the lib trolls in the NY Post comment section assume the guy was a Maga.
These days, the truth is dependent on your POV.
Good grief. If the guy's lucky, he's dead.
Wonder what was behind that act of insanity.
Crazier and crazier... this world of ours.
Howdy back, Mr. G. It got cloudy (and breezy) around here.
Just got in from mowing the front yard.
Slowly fixing and eating lunch before I get in the shower.
We're due for rain later. Fine by me.
The snow shovel is in the basement and can stay there.
IMF Official: Joe Biden’s Open Border Is Hurting Americans’ Wages
NEIL MUNRO 19 Apr 2024 5:57
“Abundant labor coming across the border” is reducing the wages paid to American employees, said Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
“Not everybody who crosses the border adds positively to the economy,” the Bulgarian-born Georgieva told the media at the IMF’s spring meeting, which was held with its sister organization, the World Bank, adding:
But that labor supply also gave to the United States [overall economy an] advantage: Wages are not pushing up, because there is no strong pressure because of lack of labor.
Not counting inflation, the annual growth in average hourly earnings has dropped to 4.1 percent in March 2024, down from 5.9 percent during the coronavirus turmoil on March 22, according to the Wall Street Journal.
But after counting inflation, wages in President Joe Biden’s migration-inflated economy have remained flat or dropped — especially for the many young Americans who are facing rising rents.
Migration also spurs inflation, chiefly by driving up housing prices amid Biden’s welcome for more than 7 million southern migrants and at least 2 million legal migrants. “Inflation is down but not gone,” Georgieva said at the meeting.
But cheap labor is also very good for employers, investors, government tax collectors, and bankers because it grows the number of revenue-generating workers, consumers, and taxpayers — even though Americans’ wages remain flat or decline. That way the overall economy, Wall Street values, and the size of government, all grow from migration — even when Americans’ wages drop.
The mismatch “creates a domestic political problem,” Georgieva admitted. Indeed, many polls that show the majority of Americans reject Biden’s high-migration, low-wage “Bidenomics” economy.
Many business leaders, government agencies, and academics admit that wages are reduced by migration. They include independent academics, the National Academies of Science, the Congressional Budget Office, executives, more academics, New York Times reporters, state officials, unions, more business executives, lobbyists, employees, the Wall Street Journal, federal economists, Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs again, oil drillers, Wall Street analysts, fired professionals, legislators, construction workers, New York Times subscribers, Robert Rubin, and even by the Bank of Ireland.
Worse, the flood of cheap workers also drags down the productivity growth needed for growing middle-class wealth.
Migration allows companies to generate profits from low-productivity jobs, such as labor-intensive manufacturing, or restraint jobs.
The flood of cheap workers also reduces companies’ incentive to buy productivity-boosting machinery or to invest in risky ideas. Instead, they can profit by using their subsidized workers to operate old machinery that would otherwise be sold to companies in developing countries.
In contrast, China opposes immigration and is investing heavily in wage-boosting, high-tech factories.
Democrats help companies profit from migration by forcing local and federal taxpayers to pay the welfare and housing costs that keep the migrant workers from squalor. In April, Bloomberg reported on the economic difficulties facing Ukrainian parole migrants who cannot get city-paid housing:
“I couldn’t stretch my pay, not just for an apartment but even for a room,” said Marina Kostenko, a former teacher from Odesa who moved to New York in 2022.
The 52-year-old said she offered child-care services in exchange for housing, an arrangement that fell through on three different occasions, each time leaving her without a place to live.
The state of Massachusetts is using sales taxes to provide roughly $1 billion per year in housing subsidies for imported workers in 2024.
But the Democratic support for corporate migration also pushes many Americans out of major cities.
The flood of migrants inflates housing costs, pushing American families out of high-opportunity cities. WBH.org reported April 18:
A recent report by Boston Indicators found that Massachusetts lost a population about the size of Winchester. The staggering cost of housing in the Commonwealth is driving people out, and younger residents are feeling the squeeze.
“For younger buyers who want to get out of their rental apartment or maybe they’re starting a family, they need more space. …They’re going to look to communities where it’s more affordable,” said Boston Globe Business Columnist Shirley Leung on Boston Public Radio Thursday.
The concerning amount of people moving out across 2021 and 2022 — almost 23,000 — were between the ages 25 to 44. They were predominantly white, middle- and high-income earners and college-educated.
For decades, officials and lobbyists in New York City have used each new flood of migrants to suppress wages, spike rents, and push outspoken middle-class Americans out of the city.
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2024/04/19/global-banker-bidens-migration-cuts-us-wages/
Who Are the 12 Jurors Seated in the Trump Hush Money Trial?
KRISTINA WONG 19 Apr 2024 7:05
(Impartial? I doubt it. This makes me sick.)
Here is a breakdown of the 12 jurors seated in the trial of former President Donald Trump. The trial is taking place in solidly-Democrat Manhattan, making it challenging for Trump’s defense to find fair and impartial jurors.
The jurors who were selected on Thursday include:
— A man who lives in Hells Kitchen, works in investment banking, has an MBA in finance, is married and lives with his wife, and enjoys hiking, music concerts and living with his wife. He describes himself as agnostic, but raised Catholic. He said he uses X, follows Truth Social Posts via X, follows trial witness Michael Cohen, the anti-Trump X account user Mueller She Wrote, and follows news on the Ukraine and Israel Wars. He said he also listens to SiriusXM radio.
— A man who lives in West Village, has worked as a security engineer for 25 years, is married with three children, and whose wife is a teacher. His hobbies are his children, and metal and woodworking. He said he does not have social media and follows a “spattering” of news outlets. He answered “yes,” when asked “Have you, a relative, or a close friend ever worked for any company or organization that is owned or run by Donald Trump or anyone in his family?”
— A man who lives in the Upper East Side originally from Lebanon, is retired but still consults with some clients, has an MBA, is married with a son and a daughter, enjoys fly fishing, and skiing and does yoga and meditation every morning. He said he follows the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and CNBC. His brother in law is a lawyer.
— A woman who lives in the Upper East Side who grew up in New Jersey, works as a speech therapist for the Department of Education, has a B.A. and Master’s degree, is single with no children, lives alone, enjoys walks, restaurants, and taking advantage of living in New York City, said, “I don’t watch any news or follow it too closely.” She said she subscribes to the New York Times’ “morning whatever” and CNN’s Five Things newsletters, listens to podcasts about reality TV, and has a mom who works for the state of New Jersey. She said about Trump, “I do have opinions, yes,” but she insisted she can be fair and impartial. She also said, “I do not agree with a lot of his politics and his decisions as a president, but I have really taken the past two days to reflect and make sure that I could leave that at the door and be a totally impartial juror, and I feel like I can.”
— A man who lives in Murray Hill, is originally from Ohio, works for an eyewear company in commerce, is unmarried with no children, lives with an accountant, likes the outdoors and animals. He said he did not have a “strong opinion” about Trump, and said, “Some things I am in favor, for things I am not in favor.”
— A woman who lives in Upper Manhattan, works as a product development manager for a multinational apparel company, is unmarried with no children, enjoys exploring New York and eating, said, “I don’t really follow the news,” but uses Google and reads industry-specific outlets. She said, “I don’t have strong opinions about him, but I don’t like his persona, how he presents himself in public. I don’t really agree with some of his politics, but that does not mean I can’t be impartial.” She added, “I don’t like some of my co-workers, but I am not going to — but I can hear him out and understand his point of view and understand his issues.” She also said, “He just seems very selfish and self serving, so I don’t really appreciate that in any public servant. So I don’t, I mean I don’t know him as a person, so I don’t know how he is in terms of his integrity or anything in his personal life. But how he is in public and how he himself portrays himself in public, it just seems to me it is not my cup of tea.”
— A woman who lives on the Upper East Side who works as a physical therapist, has a B.A. and doctorate in physical therapy, is married with no children, and has a husband who works as a coach for a professional sports team, and enjoys running, playing tennis, and paddle boarding with husband and dog. She said she reads the New York Times, USA Today, and CNN. She also listens to podcasts related to sports and faith. She said her in-laws are attorneys. She said she did not have strong feelings about Trump.
The jurors who were selected on Monday and Tuesday include:
— A man who lives in West Harlem and works in sales, who is married, enjoys “anything outdoorsy,” and said he follows the New York Times, Daily Mail, some Fox News and MSNBC.
— A man who lives in Chelsea, is a corporate law attorney, is not married with children, enjoys hiking and running, and get his news from the the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Google.
— A woman who lives in Harlem, is a teacher and lives with her brother, a basketball coach. She enjoys writing, theater, and traveling, and gets her news from Google and TikTok. She said she listens to podcasts on relationships and pop culture, as well as the Breakfast Club podcast.
— A woman who lives in Chelsea and works as a software engineer. She has three roommates, and said she gets news from the New York Times and TikTok.
— A man who lives on the Upper East Side and is a civil litigator. He said he knew virtually nothing about criminal law and election finance. He said he did not think a former president should be held to a higher standard and said he was ambivalent about Trump, saying something things he liked, and some he did not. He said he was not sure if he had any opinion about his character.
As far as alternates, the first one selected is:
— A woman who lives in Midtown East, is an analyst for an asset manager, lives with a self-employed boyfriend, likes to run and hang out with friends and eat, and reads the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. Her sister is a law student.
Judge Juan Merchan ordered reporters to stop specifying the physical appearances of jurors, after one juror asked to be dismissed out of concern she would be identified.
The court convenes on Friday at 9:30 a.m. to continue questioning potential alternates.
The court needs five more before opening arguments can begin.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has accused Trump of violating New York state law by falsifying business records in an alleged attempt to hide an alleged campaign finance violation that involved paying former adult actress Stormy Daniels a hush money payment before the 2016 election.
The case is New York v. Trump, No. 71543-23, in the New York Supreme Court for New York County.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/19/who-are-the-12-jurors-seated-in-the-trump-hush-money-trial/
Let them make arrangements for their own long-term housing...
BACK in their country of origin.
This is ridiculous.
Biden and the demorrhoids MUST be defeated in November.
Oh and a sunny Good Morning to ya, Gmenfan.
Don't put away your winter jammies yet.
We've got some chilly nights heading our way.
Democrats Seize Control of House: For First Time in Recorded History, Speaker Mike Johnson Relies on Minority Party Votes to Advance Foreign Aid Plan
BRADLEY JAYE 18 Apr 2024 2:11
(Tens of billions to be sent overseas. And yet, they keep telling us Social Security and Medicare are in jeopardy. Maybe that money should go to pay back the money they "borrowed" from those funds.)
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) made history Thursday night just before midnight by essentially surrendering Republican majority control to Democrats.
For the first time in recorded history — since the House began keeping records — the House Rules Committee relied on minority party votes to overcome objections from the majority and advance a rule bill to the House floor.
The committee voted nine to three, with all four Democrats on the committee voting with five Republicans to move a rule to the House floor, which, if passed with Democrat support as expected, would allow votes on Johnson’s foreign aid package, including a bill that includes tens of billions to fund Ukraine.
Conservative Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Ralph Norman (R-SC) voted no.
The powerful House Rules Committee, known for generations as “the Speaker’s committee” for the control the Speaker of the House possesses over the committee and its reputation as a rubber stamp for the Speaker’s agenda, sets the floor agenda for the House through what are known as rules.
Rules do not simply allow votes on bills. The complicated, convoluted language of the eight-page rule, as with many rules, intentionally deflects from what the rule does.
For example, after questioning from Massie, Chairman Michael Burgess (R-TX) acknowledged the rule contains language that merges the four bills together, sending the different components together as one package to the Senate as part of Johnson’s complicated scheme to exploit the urgency to pass aid to Israel to ensure Ukraine funding can pass Congress.
“The four bills that we’ve heard testimony on today will be transmitted to the senate as an amendment to the underlying bill,” Burgess said, acknowledging the underlying bill itself was an unrelated “veterans bill.”
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/18/democrats-seize-control-house-speaker-mike-johnson-relies-minority-party-votes-advance-foreign-aid/
Nice tribute, Larry.
Rest in peace, Mr. Betts.
lol... Thanks for the clarification. I was about to stay away from you for life.
Barr... a vote is a vote.
Maybe his change of heart will persuade others.
Barr: I’ll Vote for Trump Because Continuing Biden Is ‘National Suicide’
PAM KEY 17 Apr 2024 1:18
Former Attorney General Bill Barr said Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” that he will support Donald Trump in November.
Barr said, “The real threat to liberty, the real threat to our system, are the excesses of the progressive left. They are perverting the system of justice and that’s where the danger lies. The corruption and subversion of our institutions by the left.”
Co-host Bill Hemmer said, “I heard you call this hush money case outrageous. I also know you’ve been asked many times and had disagreements with the former president. He is the presumptive nominee and we assume he will be the nominee. Will you support him in 2024?”
Barr said, “I’ve said all along given two bad choices, I think it’s my duty to pick the person I think would do the least harm to the country and in my mind that’s — I will vote the Republican ticket. I will support the Republican ticket.”
He added, “I think the real danger to the country, the real danger to democracy, as I say, is the progressive agenda and I’ve said Trump may be playing Russian roulette, but continuation of the Biden administration is national suicide in my opinion.”
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/04/17/barr-ill-vote-for-trump-because-continuing-biden-is-national-suicide/
Cops storm Columbia, bust 100 anti-Israel protesters after university prez finally tells NYPD to clear campus
By Georgett Roberts , Olivia Land , Emily Crane and Joe Marino
Published April 18, 2024 Updated April 18, 2024, 6:00 p.m. ET
https://nypost.com/2024/04/18/us-news/nypd-cops-enter-columbia-after-university-warns-anti-israel-protesters-to-clear-out/
Hope they made good use of the old-fashioned billy clubs.
Should have started with this fugly chip off the old block...
Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, suspended from Barnard College for her involvement in anti-Israel protests
By Emily Crane
Published April 18, 2024 Updated April 18, 2024, 12:45 p.m. ET
Isra Hirsi and her mom Ilhan Omar seen in an Instagram photo. Instagram
https://nypost.com/2024/04/18/us-news/ilhan-omars-daughter-suspended-from-barnard-college-for-her-involvement-in-anti-israel-protests/
Another reason to vote for Trump...
Report: January 6 Committee Democrats Say They Fear Trump Will Put Them in Jail
KRISTINA WONG 18 Apr 2024 2:48
House Democrats who led an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s role in the January 6 Capitol riot say they are worried about their safety and being arrested if the former president wins reelection.
They fretted to CBS News in a recent piece about a March 18 Trump post on Truth Social that said former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) “should go to Jail along with the rest of the Unselect Committee!”
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who has consistently fundraised off all Democrat investigations and impeachments of Trump, told the network, “My wife and I have had conversations about what life would look like if the worst happened… . You can’t avoid the conversations about ‘What if?’ And I have to think about my own personal safety.”
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (CA) said he took the threat of being jailed seriously, but joked that the jail is close to the Capitol and that his family would visit him “no matter where I am.”
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, another member of the committee that investigated January 6 and another California Democrat, said she believes Trump intends to do what he says he will do.
Former D.C. Police Officer Michael Fanone, who testified in front of the Committee and was subsequently hired by CNN as a law enforcement analyst, told CBS News, “He’s going to weaponize the Department of Justice…and use it to go after people like myself… . He’s telling us exactly what he plans on doing.”
Former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who is now running for Congress as a Democrat in Maryland, told CBS News, “Anybody who has testified against him, or spoken out in a public capacity, should be worried.” The former police officer and politician-hopeful said the threat of arrest “is a little scary to think about, but you have to continue to do the right thing.”
A Trump spokeswoman told CBS News in a statement that their “entire narrative is a lie”:
Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney, and the Corrupt Democrats on the sham January 6th Committee have lied to the American public for years, denied key witnesses from testifying to the truth, and covered up evidence that proved President Trump, nor any of his supporters, ever engaged in an alleged ‘insurrection.’ Their entire narrative is a lie and Americas know that Joe Biden is the true threat to democracy.
The January 6 committee was disbanded after Republicans won control of the House in 2020. Cheney, the top Republican on the committee, lost her bid for reelection.
Pictures and Xweets at the link:
https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2024/04/18/report-january-6-committee-democrats-say-they-fear-trump-will-put-them-in-jail/
OK, Zoomers!
“Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich,” says a headline in the Economist, which reports that this young generation “is taking over” and adds:
In the rich world there are at least 250m people born between 1997 and 2012. About half are now in a job. In the average American workplace, the number of Gen Zers (sometimes also known as “Zoomers”) working full-time is about to surpass the number of full-time baby-boomers, those born from 1945 to 1964, whose careers are winding down… Gen Z is also grabbing power: America now has more than 6,000 Zoomer chief executives and 1,000 Zoomer politicians.
God help us...
This was the tagline for this op-ed piece. You have to be a subscriber to get there:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/crying-in-the-grocery-store-68c66601?mod=hp_opin_pos_5#cxrecs_s
Howdy, PW. Good to see you posting.
It's been way too long since you've stopped by.
EVs: No idea how this will play out though I believe the market will decide their fate. Eventually they'll figure out how to make them more appealing than ICE vehicles but we are nowhere near that day right now. Meanwhile, I'll cling to my ancient ICE vehicle and its CD player for as long as I can.
Glad you enjoyed yesterday's ride. I saw a Chevy EV outside the post office over a year ago. The driver and I had a brief chat. His description of the ride matched yours. He attributed it to the weight of the batteries... which are what tear up the road thus releasing more particulate matter into the air. Oh, gee whiz. Between that and the pollution generated from manufacturing the batteries (which become toxic waste), they are far more environmentally hostile than ICE cars. The truth is slowly emerging.
We'll see what happens. Fingers crossed that does not include violence.
Smile pretty. Watch your back.
Supreme Court Skeptical of Biden Admin in January 6 Case with Implications for Trump
BRADLEY JAYE 16 Apr 2024 4:58
WASHINGTON, DC –The U.S. Supreme Court sounded skeptical of the Biden Justice Department during oral arguments Tuesday regarding whether a man involved in events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, can be charged under a law that severely punishes obstructing an official proceeding.
The landmark case could upend around 350 cases in which defendants – around 100 of which have been convicted or pled guilty – were indicted on similar charges under the same provision.
The decision will almost certainly have major implications for the Biden Administration’s prosecution of Donald Trump, resulting in the most serious charges against him being thrown out of court.
The government indicted defendant Joseph Fischer after January 6 under 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2), a provision enacted after the Enron scandal for one who “corruptly … obstructs, influences and impedes any official proceeding,” indicting him on six other charges as well. Fischer’s attorneys argue the charge in question inappropriately relies on that provision, which was clearly intended to cover concealing or destroying evidence related to white-collar crime.
That statute carries a potential 20 years in federal prison.
Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued Tuesday that Fischer and others engaged in “a deliberate attempt to stop the joint session of Congress from certifying the results of the election” and “obstructed Congress’ work in that official proceeding.”
Jeffrey Green, an attorney for Fischer, said the charge was inappropriate. “Attempting to stop a vote count or something like that is a very different act than actually changing a document or altering a document,” he said.
But conservative Justices questioned if the government went too far with the charge, expressing concerns over interpretation of the terms “obstruct” and “impede” and that the statute could be used to prosecute those engaging in sit-ins and other demonstrations.
“We need to find out what are the outer reaches of this statute under your interpretation,” Justice Samuel Alito questioned.
Justice Neil Gorsuch questioned, “Would a sit-in that disrupts a trial or access to a federal courthouse qualify? Would a heckler in today’s audience qualify, or at the State of the Union address? Would pulling a fire alarm before a vote, qualify for 20 years in federal prison?”
He seemed to reference Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who admitted to breaking the law in September of 2023 by pulling a fire alarm before a critical House vote on federal spending, allegedly to postpone the vote while the Democrat-led Senate could assemble to take the initiative with its own version of spending legislation.
Bowman was not charged with a federal crime and pleaded down a misdemeanor in D.C. Superior Court.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas seemed to question if the provision was being applied unevenly, perhaps for political reasons.
“There have been many violent protests that have interfered with proceedings,” Thomas said. “Has the government applied this provision to other protests in the past and has this been the government position throughout the lifespan of the statute?”
“I can’t give you an example of enforcing it in a situation where people have violently stormed a building in order to prevent an official proceeding,” Prelogar said.
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared to come to Prelogar’s defense, saying the situation was unprecedented “with people attempting to stop a proceeding violently. So I’m not sure what a lack of history proves.”
Roberts suggested that in determining the 1512(c)(2) charge applied to the defendant, the prosecutors may have ignored the language in (c)(1) which made clear the clause dealt with the destruction of documents – of which even prosecutors do not charge the defendant. Essentially, instead of understanding (c)(2) was a continuation of (c)(1), the prosecutors address (c)(2) as a standalone provision, violating the judicial doctrine of ejusdem generis.
He referred to an opinion the Court issued Friday in Bisonnette which “said that the general phrase is controlled and defined by reference to the terms that precede it.”
Kavanaugh also appeared skeptical of Prelegar’s assertion that ejusdem generis did not apply.
Although Trump is not part of Fisher’s case, the statute is a central piece of Jack Smith’s criminal prosecution of the former president. If the Supreme Court rules that Fischer cannot be charged for obstructing an official proceeding, Smith’s case against Trump could be significantly handicapped.
The case is Fischer v. United States, No. 23-5572, in the Supreme Court of the United States.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/16/supreme-court-skeptical-of-biden-admin-in-january-6-case-with-implications-for-trump/
It’s disgusting to stop Trump from attending Barron’s graduation for a partisan sham trial that shames America
By Social Links forPiers Morgan
Published April 16, 2024, 10:28 a.m. ET
Yep... the real-life version of King of Hearts...
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060908/
Saw it years ago. Hmmm... wonder if that's a candidate for TCM.
Morning, possh. Good to see you're up and at 'em...
In fine fettle I might add.
Ahhh. Thanks for filling in the Tesla gaps, Bull.
What a mess.
Pity. < g >
You're such a tease.
Where did this come from?
"Won't you please come to Chicago..." The Obnoxious ‘Genocide Joe’ Protesters
Biden may be in for a rerun of 1968, with a ruinous Democratic Chicago convention.
By William McGurn April 15, 2024 5:35 pm ET
(One can only hope... Wonder how those "libs" will deal with these "Peaceful Protestors?")
Progressive activists met Saturday in Chicago to discuss their plans to march on the Democratic National Convention in August. While they were meeting, Hatem Abudayyeh, national chairman for the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, announced that Iran had just launched its attack on Israel.
The crowd cheered.
So much for the idea that the protests taking place all across America are antiwar. These people cheer drones and missiles directed at Israel, chant “Death to America,” and never blame Tehran or Hamas for anything. In Chicago this weekend, the progressive organizations meeting under the banner of Palestinian liberation made clear that Joe Biden is their enemy and they plan to bring the fight to him...
“The Democrats learned in 1968 that the unrest at their convention in Chicago over Vietnam may well have cost them the presidency,” says Democratic strategist Doug Schoen. “Biden’s failure to move to the center and forthrightly defend Israel could well likewise cost the president and the Democrats a victory in November.”
Like Mr. Biden on Israel, Humphrey was split on Vietnam, having defended the war as Lyndon Johnson’s vice president even though his inclination ran the other way. The result was that Humphrey was perceived as the candidate of more war, leaving Republican Richard Nixon free to run as the man who would bring it to “an honorable end.”
Sound familiar?
The full op-ed is here:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-obnoxious-genocide-joe-protesters-2024-election-ed253565?mod=hp_opin_pos_2#cxrecs_s
Thanks, Shelly. Who knows what strange machinations go on behind the scenes on my ancient laptop.
Have a good one.
Trump’s ‘hush money’ NYC trial live updates: Ex-president licks his lips, calls trial an ‘assault on America’ before entering courtroom
By Ben Kochman , Kyle Schnitzer and Kaydi Pelletier Updated April 15, 2024, 10:47 a.m. ET
Donald Trump is inside Manhattan Criminal Court today as his first criminal trial begins with jury selection, over a $130,000 hush-money payment the ex-president allegedly made to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an effort to cover up the payment to keep Daniels quiet about their alleged affair.
The case marks the first time a former president has gone to trial over criminal charges. The trial is expected to last about two months, and Trump faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
Because it’s a criminal trial, the former commander-in-chief must attend the trial every day that court is in session.
(Talk about election interference...)
Follow the Post’s live updates for the latest news, updates and photos:
https://nypost.com/2024/04/15/us-news/trumps-hush-money-nyc-trial-live-updates-reactions-photos-analysis/
Is it my machine or has IHub been hanging lately... starting with this past Saturday?
Lenovo laptop, Win7, Edge browser.
Not having any trouble elsewhere. Thanks.
Devine: New poll shows Biden closing gap on Trump — but that’s where good news ends for Democrats
By Miranda Devine Published April 14, 2024, 10:27 p.m. ET
@Bull_Dolphin @Gmenfan @SkeBallLarry @pos_stock_hoarder
Don't let the first part of the title turn you off to reading this.
As Donald Trump shows up to a Manhattan court this week for his latest lawfare flogging from Democrats, Biden boosters are doing their best to trumpet a poll turnaround for the president, after what they claim was his electrifying performance at the State of the Union.
“Is Joe Biden the Favorite Now?” begged Newsweek.
It’s true that the latest New York Times-Siena poll over the weekend showed Biden has closed the gap with Trump nationally, producing a statistical tie of 45% to 46%.
But that’s where the good news ends for Democrats.
It’s not just in the battleground states that Biden consistently lags behind his nemesis, including in a recent Wall Street Journal poll showing Trump ahead by up to eight percentage points in six of seven crucial states.
On the economy and foreign relations, two areas Biden claims are his forte, he was smashed by Trump in the NYT-Siena poll.
On whether his presidency was good or bad for America, Trump wins hands down: 42% of registered voters say the Trump years were “mostly good for America,” while just 25% say the same for Biden’s time in office.
In fact, 46% think the Biden presidency has been “mostly bad for America,” compared to 33% for Trump.
Poor marks
Even on his pet topic of defending “democracy,” Biden ties with Trump. Turns out voters don’t think trying to lock up your opponent and censoring free speech are terribly democratic.
Both Trump and Biden scored 31% on whether they are “good” for democracy, which must just kill the Biden team, since Trump’s “unique threat” to freedom and democracy is the centerpiece of the president’s campaign.
Apart from January 6 blah blah blah, he never explains exactly why. We are supposed to just feel the vibe.
Maybe it’s the jokes. Trump trickily uses laughter to “normalize his behavior,” a weirdo at Politico wailed recently.
But jokes are less a threat to democracy than to Biden’s stature because he’s the butt of them all around the world.
He’s “too old to be an effective president,” agreed 69% of registered voters.
For Trump, just four years younger at 77, that figure dropped to 42%.
Immigration is a big drag on Biden, with an estimated 13 million illegal migrants having strolled across the border on his watch, giving him a 64% disapproval rating from voters on how he’s handled the issue.
Bad news for Biden as well on his handling of foreign conflicts, with 61% of voters giving him thumbs down, compared to 45% for Trump.
That has to cut deep for the president, since he fancies himself a foreign affairs maven after 34 years on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including a decade in which he was chairman or ranking member.
What’s left? Dead fetuses are Biden’s last hope. The Siena poll is silent on abortion, but Trump has blunted the Democrat attack by insisting the issue is a matter for the states now that the Supreme Court he shaped has overturned Roe v. Wade, so he doesn’t plan to impose his view with federal meddling.
Considering he won evangelicals in Iowa after slamming Ron DeSantis’ six-week abortion ban as a “terrible mistake,” sitting on the fence won’t hurt him.
Voters have wised up to the economic gaslighting coming from the White House, too.
Almost 80% of voters rate economic conditions as poor (52%) or fair (27%), including a majority of Democrats. Biden has 63% of voters disapproving of his handling of the economy, with 34% approving. That’s the MSNBC or ultrawealthy cohort.
For months, Biden and his economic henchmen have insisted he’s brought down inflation, even while we can see from our own shrinking bank balances that prices at the grocery store and gas pump keep rising.
Inflation has not gone away. It’s gone up every month for the past six, as the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show, for an annual rate of 3.5%.
That’s less than the 9% peak in 2022, but it’s cumulative — an increase on top of past increases.
Biden has no answer other than lying and throwing more taxpayer billions on the inflation bonfire to win over young voters with student debt bribes.
Voters speak
But there are signs his self-delusion is running out of steam.
The reality of life under Biden intruded last week into MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Biden’s favorite TV show. (Does he think it’s named after him?)
A panel of eight undecided voters from Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, were asked to rate Biden and Trump in a focus group conducted by 2WAY platform. The answers caused an outbreak of severe cognitive dissonance among the hosts and guest analysts, who looked either stricken or aghast as their bubbles burst.
Asked if Trump’s policies on the economy “would be better for your family personally,” every single voter raised their hand.
Biden “has been absolutely disastrous on the economy,” said one man.
“We have areas in Pennsylvania which are just at a standstill,” said Virginia. “Interest rates are way too high.”
The panelists laughed when the moderator said, “President Biden argues that his record on the economy has been very good.”
Gigi from Pennsylvania: “I feel like he doesn’t even take accountability at all with what’s going on in the economy … like he’s in denial that it’s happening.”
Omar from Michigan, who voted for Biden in 2020: “The point is he needs to hear the people because when he’s talking about the economy, he’s talking about the stock market. He’s not looking at homelessness or joblessness. He’s not thinking how much it costs to go to the grocery store. He’s gaslighting literally everyone in the process.”
You could almost smell the panic at MSNBC.
It’s hard to believe the best chance the Democrats have to score a criminal conviction against Donald Trump is the dog’s breakfast being served up by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg this week: a “hush money” case involving a porn star named Stormy Daniels with a convicted felon and serial perjurer as the star witness.
Former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy has the best line on this farce: Bragg “turns an uncharged misdemeanor into 34 felonies [but] when dealing with violent crime in Manhattan, he turns felonies into misdemeanors.”
https://nypost.com/2024/04/14/opinion/new-poll-shows-biden-closing-gap-on-trump-but-thats-where-good-news-ends-for-democrats/
Oh, man. Glad you were able to catch up with her leash.
Hold on tight. Bet no one has to tell you that twice.
Looks like a gorgeous day out your way.
Enjoy your planting, Farmerette Flo-zee.
Great news.
lol Did you finally catch Peanut or did she make her great escape?
I gather you caught her since you're laughing about it.
Hang on tight, Flo-zee.
Your little Peanut got a taste of freedom...
there's no turning back.
Nice try, Iran... How Israel defeated 99% of Iran missiles and drones — with the help of US and an unlikely ally
By Isabel Keane Published April 14, 2024, 9:35 a.m. ET
Goliath, meet David’s Sling.
Israel managed to shoot down 99% of the 300 deadly suicide drones and missiles that Iran launched at the Jewish state on Saturday night using an advanced air defense system known as David’s Sling — in addition to an array of other anti-missile capabilities.
Israel also had help from the US, the UK and an unlikely Arab ally.
Not a single drone or cruise missile fired by Iran and its proxies made it through, according to Israeli media. And only a few of Iran’s more advanced ballistic missiles struck Israel.
Despite facing a direct attack from Iran for the first time in modern history, Israel appears to have suffered very little damage, and only one casualty is known so far — a 7-year-old Bedouin girl.
“So the numbers are still are not 100% clear, but I understand 120 ballistic missiles, around 30 cruise missiles were flied, around 170 explosive drones — explosive UAVs that will route,” Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. (R) Peter Lerner told CNN.
About 40 rockets were also fired into Israel from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“The same types of munitions that they have given to the Houthis, the same types of munitions that are being used against Ukraine.”
7-year-old Arab girl is only known casualty of Iran attack
Russia extremely concerned, calls for restraint after Iranian strikes on Israel
Biden tells Netanyahu US will not engage in counteroffensive against Iran, calls Saturday a win for Israel: report
While the “Iron Dome” is famous for shooting down rockets fired from Hezbollah and Hamas, it took much more advanced anti-missile systems to intercept the huge barrage that Iran sent to Israel.
Nearly all threats that Israel intercepted were shot down by fighter aircraft equipped with air-to-air missiles; or by David’s Sling, an air defense system used to track and eliminate drones and medium range missiles; or by the Arrow 2 or Arrow 3 missiles — which are designed to destroy ballistic missiles in space, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Footage of the attacks shared by the IDF on X shows fiery missiles soaring through the air before being shot down.
Israel began shooting down projectiles around midnight as cruise missiles were launched from Iraq toward Israel. The US was reportedly intercepting drones over Iraq and Syria.
The Israeli military also posted images of an F-35I stealth fighter returning to base after it was scrambled to protect Israeli airspace.
The US-designed fifth-generation fighter jet is capable of firing air-to-air missiles that can take out drones and missiles from many miles away — beyond the visual range of the pilot.
The US and other allies also aided in the “historically effective” interception of explosive drones and missiles fired at Israel, and President Biden called America’s “ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.”
National Security spokesman John Kirby told CNN on Sunday that the US intercepted “several dozen” missiles and drones.
The US currently has Patriot missile batteries protecting American troops in northern Iraq, as well as the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier group. Both could have potentially used their air defense weapons to target and shoot down Iranian drones as missiles.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the US also moved two additional destroyers — which specialize in shooting down incoming missiles and aircraft — into the region.
The UK and France also confirmed their military assets in the Middle East intercepted some of Iran’s barrage.
Additional help came from Jordan — a onetime enemy of Israel, which is now a US ally.
US-made F-16 fighter jets flown by the Royal Jordanian Air Force scrambled to shoot down incoming Iranian drones, the country’s military confirmed.
The country denied it was helping Israel, but said it was protecting its own airspace from threats to Jordanian citizens.
Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke after the attack. Following the call, Biden said he reaffirmed “America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel,” adding that “Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel.”
Biden also told Netanyahu that the US would not take part in any offensive operations against Iran, CNN reported on Sunday morning.
According to CNN, Biden told Netanyahu that Israel should consider their success in intercepting the Iranian attack a “win.”
Biden also told Netanyahu the US would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran, according to Axios.
By Sunday morning, Hezbollah fired an additional 30 rockets from Lebanon toward northern Israel, the group taking responsibility for the strikes saying they came in response to Israeli strikes on towns in southern Lebanon earlier that night.
One of the rockets fell in Katzrin, causing damage to property but no injuries.
The attack comes after the Islamic Republic accused Israel of killing top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was a top coordinator with Hezbollah, on April 1.
With Post wires.
Pictures, Xweets, & videos at the link:
https://nypost.com/2024/04/14/world-news/how-israel-defeated-99-of-irans-missiles-and-drones/
Sorry to be the source of a rude awakening.
No one can serve more than 10 years max.
Trump would have to leave office before he served two years of his second term,
His fat ego would never allow that.
Plus which, there's his age. By the time 2028 rolls around he'd be 82 (83?). Too old.
All I hope for is that he picks a vice president who could successfully run when his term is over...
Then again, he has to get elected first.
That is not a slam dunk.
Bet the demorrhoids still have a grab bag of dirty tricks they plan to use
starting with the abortion rights pitch.
Good luck with your busy day, Flo-zee.
The eastern world is exploding...
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Except this time around... they're old enough vote.
Morning, Bull. Re the FISA reform bill, here's the paragraph from last night's Tom Kean, Jr.'s newsletter.
Breaking the board rule here (no link) but there's nothing on his website yet.
That truck was beyond impressive.
The owner said it measures 11 feet high. I believe it.
The girl who interviewed him asked him if he drove it on the road.
No. Off-road only. Those vehicles are illegal on regular routes.
Same here in nj and I'm pretty sure they're illegal in NY too.
Bobby's friend has been known to drive his through the streets of Manhattan in the dead of night.
I think the guy is a total jackazz but the boys seem to think he's funny.
Women. No sense of humor. < g >
Tuned in and saw the truck with the big lift.
My mechanic did that with a van for a crazy friend of his.
The front tires on the van are closer to the door than they are on that truck.
Bobby got in and out of it by grabbing a handle and "walking" up the tire.
Not sure how his fat friend managed to get in and out.
No elevator that I know of.
Or his urn??? OJ Simpson to be cremated, brain won’t be donated for CTE research, lawyer says
By Matthew Sedacca and Dana Kennedy Published April 13, 2024, 9:20 a.m. ET
O.J. Simpson’s brain will be incinerated, not investigated, The Post has learned.
The body of the killer and former NFL great is expected to be cremated Tuesday in Las Vegas — with no plans to donate his brain for research despite multiple requests from scientists, a rep for his estate told The Post.
His longtime attorney and executor Malcolm LaVergne said he’s signed off on all the paperwork for Simpson’s cremation, but the family gave a “hard no” to scientists asking to study Simpson’s brain to see if the ex-running back suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease afflicting many retired football players who suffered multiple concussions during their careers.
Violent behavior is one common symptom of CTE.
“With OJ everything’s wild, but I’ve been getting calls from medical centers that are doing CTE testing asking me for OJ’s brain . . . that is not happening,” LaVergne said.
“I may consult with the children on it, but I haven’t heard anything about it, so it’s just not going to happen. OJ wants all of his body cremated for his children to do what they see fit.”
Simpson died Thursday after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 76.
Simpson’s four children still have to sign off on the cremation paperwork, said LaVergne, who noted he wants “consensus.”
A doctor also has signed off on the death certificate and paperwork for Simpson’s cremation, and additional paperwork is scheduled to be finalized on Monday, said the attorney.
“Tuesday is the predicted . . . day that he will actually be cremated.” LaVergne said. “That’s what OJ wanted. Those are OJ’s wishes, and that’s what the kids are telling me.”
He declined to discuss any of the Simpson children’s plans for what they will do with his ashes.
(The kid with largest toilet bowl wins... flush.)
A staffer who answered the phone at the upscale Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas said Simpson’s body was at the Palm Southwest Crematorium.
“Right now there’s no specific plans for a funeral service,” LaVergne said. “There is however a possibility that there will be a celebration of life-type service at a later date and time which will be limited to Mr. Simpson’s close circle of friends and family.”
The Diocese of Orange in southern California, which manages Ascension Cemetery where Nicole Brown Simpson is buried, has “not been contacted by the Simpson family regarding any funeral or burial services at any of our Catholic cemeteries,” spokesman Bradley Zint said.
A spokesperson at Golden Gate National Cemetery, where Simpson’s parents Jimmy and Eunice Simpson are buried, said the ex-NFL legend would not be buried with his parents because he was not a military veteran and the cemetery is full.
LaVergne has said he wants to make sure the family of Ron Goldman doesn’t get a penny from Simpson’s estate. Goldman was a waiter and friend of Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. Both were murdered at her home in Los Angeles on June 12, 1994.
Simpson was acquitted of the murders during his sensational 1995 trial but was found liable for their deaths in a 1997 civil case, which resulted in him owing the Brown and Goldman families a $33.5 million judgment.
“It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” LaVergne said. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”
https://nypost.com/2024/04/13/us-news/oj-simpsons-brain-wont-be-donated-for-cte-research/